Beautiful, decent actress found dead in her hotel room

"Silents" was a very enjoyable read about 1920's Hollywood before the advent of talking pictures. About a young, beautiful, decent actress found dead in her hotel room. Many suspects including her boss who reminded me very much of Louie B.Mayer but that was pretty much before he was on the scene so I'm guessing it was reminiscent of either Adolph Zukor or Jesse Lasky. Very happy to see surprise ending, for me anyway. Hate when I can figure out the murder in a book way before the end. If you enjoy reading about early Hollywood, you'll enjoy this novel. Even if you just like a good mystery,you'll like this book.

~Kim Dunn

SILENTS!

In SILENTS! Oliver takes on the murder of a silent screen star, with the twists and turns of a Keystone Cops chase. This was the last of H. P. Oliver's books that I read and I can only hope that he is currently busy at his old Remington typewriter...or whatever he uses to turn out such good stories.

One of the things I enjoyed most about Oliver's books is the fantastic description of Los Angeles and surrounding area in the late 1920's through the early 1940's.

~Les Cook

This is a fun, well researched

This is a fun, well researched, read about the days of silent cinema in Hollywood with a ton of characters, descriptions of the studio etc. I certainly recommend it.

~Shirley Hughes

Fun story about Old Hollywood!

I like reading about old Hollywood and was pleased when I found this book on Amazon. Will read more of the authors books.

~Like To Read

Follow the Clues!

This volume is the verbal equivalent of the board game Clue! Makes you feel like a bloodhound following every twist and turn. Another non-stop read! It's a wrap!

~Diana S Johnson

Silents! If you're here looking for a new book, try this one. So good!

Silents! by H.P. Oliver is a traditional murder mystery that takes place during the silent film era in Hollywood. A murder mystery that takes place in the world of Hollywood's silent film era? I'm in!

One of the best and most favorite actresses of the time, the young Lillian Lawrence, was murdered in her Hollywood Hotel room via one small caliber bullet to the head. The only clue detectives C.K. Mackie and Bobby Winfield have to start the investigation is a very expensive cigar stub found on the floor of the hotel room.

And so begins the mystery. Who did this? Who would want to do murder this sweet, beautiful girl?

As it turns out, there are quite a few possibilities. I won't go into them here, because reading of them and their stories is the fun of this detailed novel. This is a fun police procedural. Every page turn had a new possibility and another twist. It's filled with details and interesting characters (to say the least) that were fully developed so the author really let us get to know them.

Yep, I loved it.

By the way, is it just me, or does one of the detectives in this story, Bobby Winfield, remind anyone else of Harry Bosch?

Anyway, this novel was an escape from the busy life the holiday season always seems to bring with it. It's written in a clear, chronological, easy to follow voice (but not TOO easy!) with a lot of little historical things thrown in to consider. Please note: The main story here is the murder and the characters around it, not the history of Hollywood, as I intitially thought when I picked this up.

I love a book that I think about when I'm away from reading it, one that I can't wait to get back to just as soon as I can. Having a story like this one to look forward to is very welcome to me. I read this one in three days. It would have been faster if it weren't this time of year.

Silents! Is my first H.P. Oliver book. I'm now so anxious to read his other stories. These are my kind of books. I think they'd be a great Christmas present for me. Hubby, are you listening?

~Sarah Owens (Amazon)

Silents!

Good old fashioned detective novel set in the 1920s. From the first page I was hooked! Fast paced and witty dialogue kept me hooked. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars!

~The_ManTrap (Amazon)

Hollywood, The Talkies, and the 'right' guy gets murdered.

I love it when the conniving, mean, malicious, evil person is the murder victim. And I hate it when there is no wrap up of the story--you don't know who did the good deed. This story has a great bad guy and a story that kept me guessing right up to the very end, when Mr Oliver's characters explained it all to me. Don't read the last 10 pages first. If you do, you will miss a great story line and tour through the movie studios of early Hollywood. Mr. Oliver's verbal images are so easy to visualize and it makes reading like going to a color movie.

~Lilly (Amazon)

Wonderful!

I enjoyed this book so much. It's the type of detective novel that constantly keeps the reader guessing, and the ending was a surprise! Just when you think you have the whole mystery figured out, you're quickly proven wrong. Oliver shows an obvious passion for history, and Hollywood history in particular, making this story even more of a treat for fans of the Golden Hollywood era. The mystery sucks the reader in, but it is the great level of detail that really makes the reader feel present in the story. You can picture every step the detectives take and every character they encounter with great clarity. FIVE STARS!

~Lindsey (Amazon)

More than a good murder mystery.

The third book from H.P. Oliver is my favorite to date, and continues HPO's attention to vivid historical details embedded within the story. Set in 1926, this fast paced murder mystery immerses the reader into the period, from the language used by the characters to the interesting and detailed presentation of Los Angeles in the 20's vs. the LA area we know today. Throughout the story, readers should pay attention to the clues for solving the murder, and HPO updates the status through police reports to remind the forgetful reader - I almost figured it out, missed it by thiiiisss much...darn you HPO!

It would be handy for the readers using an iPad to keep a browser window open to HPO's website (or for others to have a notebook computer nearby) to occasionally flip over to HPO's website and follow the visualizations created for this story, as well as his other books. The visualizations follow the timeline of the story and enrich the mental images created by his skillful writing. Also located on the hpoliver.com website is a seven page backstory that I encourage people to review before starting or shortly after starting the book, to gain more insight into the characters. And before reading the book, the entertaining video trailer for Silents! puts the readers mind into the period. There is a lot more involved than just the book to entertain us.

The amount of work put into research and presentation is amazing - HPO's efforts are well done and highly recommended.

~LVReader (Amazon)

Another Winner from Oliver

After reading this author's first two books, I had high expectations for this one. I wasn't disappointed. Oliver's vivid descriptions and authentic period dialogue took me straight back to the Hollywood of 1926 from the first page on, and I agree with LVReader's recommendation to check out the supplemental material on Oliver's web site. The detail Oliver provides for enriching the story for the reader is amazing. But as engaging as the trip back to the 20s was (along with an obviously well-researched look into the silent film days of the movie industry), that isn't the best part.

The essence of this book is a mystery that kept me guessing until the killer was revealed at the very end. Oliver is a master at giving readers all the clues needed to figure out whodunnit without making the solution obvious; you might see it coming, but you probably won't - at least I didn't.

It seems like each of Oliver's novels is better than the one before. This is definitely my favorite so far. I didn't want to put it down until I got to the end, but I was in no hurry for it to be over. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next!

~Mississippi Ms (Amazon)

A must-read for historical mystery lovers.

A must-read for historical mystery lovers. Oliver's latest has what historical mystery lovers love; a top-notch story filled with twists, turns and fascinating characters plus an evocative sense of time and place that takes the reader to Hollywood's early days. It was a time when silent films were made on back lots in southern California's golden light by not-so-golden men who controlled every aspect of their employees' lives. Oliver has a trick of parsing out details that keeps the reader guessing. Part historical novel, part police procedural, with movie stars, murder and romance - this page-turner will keep you guessing to the final ending. Not the first I've read by Oliver, and it won't be the last.

~Mystery Lover (Barnes & Noble)

Great read!

This is a great "whodunnit" that takes the reader back to the golden days of early Hollywood. Times were different then, and H.P. Oliver writes about the people and circumstances in a way that ensures you feel part of those different times. No computers, no cellphones - just great detective work. I felt like I knew the cop who was a rather likeable sort of guy. Old Hollywood and it's surrounds came to life due to the details that H.P. wove into the tale. The hints about who did the evil deed are all there, but try as I might, I was unable to figure it all out before the end. To me, that makes a great read. Good entertainment. When will the movie version come out?

~J. Phelps (Amazon)

WhoDunnit?

This was my first H.P.Oliver book, and I must say that I enjoyed it very much. I love a good time period mystery, and this certainly didn't disappoint. Oliver's character descriptions were excellent and he really brought them to life. The many twists and turns throughout the book kept me guessing whodunnit right up to the very end, and there were many suspects that could have been the culprit. I was completely caught off-guard to the ending of the story when I thought that I had figured it out, which made the story even more enjoyable to me. I certainly wasn't ready for it to end, and I will enjoy my next chance to read another of Oliver's books! Excellent!!

~67cooglover (Amazon)

Not keeping silent about this book!

I just read the book SILENTS! I have to say once I turned to the first page I could not put it down! Kept me guessing till the final sentence! A wonderful book for lovers of a good mystery, twice as much fun if you love those set in a different period than this and for me a lover of the 1920's, well that was the cherry on the top! Buy this book NOW! And for heavens sake do not remain silent about it, spread the word!

~Stephanie Feldman (Amazon)